JC: William Redman Carter Noble Savage Chapter 39 By Lazlo Zalezac Copyright (C) Lazlo Zalezac, 2005 William stared at Lucy in shock. Unable to believe what he thought he had heard her say, he asked, “Excuse me?” Pointing to the woman at the front of the conference room of the Carter House, Lucy said, “I asked her to remove her clothes.” “I thought I misunderstood you,” William said. He glanced over at Mary Gold. The woman had her head down and was hiding her mouth behind her hands. The twinkle in her eye suggested that she was trying not to laugh. The twenty-four year old woman standing at the front of the room was stunningly beautiful. She had shoulder length brown hair, green eyes, sensuous lips, and a body that most women would willingly sacrifice their first, second, and third-born children just to have it for a year. Totally unphased by the request, she calmly unbuttoned her blouse while watching William. Once the buttons were undone, she removed her blouse and put it on the chair. Ignoring the action at the front of the room, William was staring at Lucy unable to believe what she had requested. Incredulous, he asked, “Why would you do that?” Lucy ignored him and watched the woman undress. She found it hard to believe that William wasn’t watching the strip show at the front of the room. Trying to sound business-like, she asked, “Did Mary Gold explain all of the requirements of the job?” Watching William and amazed by the fact that he was ignoring her strip show, the woman dropped a lacy bra onto the chair and answered, “Yes, she did.” “What requirements?” William asked wondering if there was anything in the job description that he had missed. He looked over at Mary Gold, but the woman had turned her back to him. It looked like she was having a hard time keeping from laughing. He looked down at the resume once again. The woman was a phenomenal job candidate and he could hardly believe that someone so qualified had applied to be his personal assistant. “Are you bisexual?” Lucy asked watching William out of the corner of her eye. “Yes,” she answered. She was pleased that William did not turn to look at her with the kind of leer that most men would have upon hearing her answer. He was too busy staring at Lucy to even spare a glance in her direction. Lucy nodded her approval and said, “Good.” “Huh?” William stared at Lucy as if he had never met her before. The woman removed her business skirt and placed it on the chair. She stood before them wearing a white garter belt, stockings, and lacy panties. She placed a foot on the seat of the chair and undid the garter. She rolled the stockings down her legs. Lucy watched her strip looking for imperfections in that amazing body. She noted that the woman trimmed her pubic area rather than shave it bare. The woman noticed where Lucy was looking and said, “I can have it waxed bare if that is preferable.” Lucy looked at William wondering what his preference was in that area. It suddenly seemed strange to her that the topic had never come up in one of their conversations. She noticed that he was staring at her open mouthed. Smiling at her husband, she said, “Close your mouth.” Barely registering what she said, he closed his mouth. Finally, he managed to asked, “What is going on here?” Pointing to the woman, Lucy asked, “Do you think she’s devastatingly beautiful?” For the first time since she had started stripping, William looked over at the woman. She was posed like a beauty queen; wearing nothing except for a smile. He examined her in the same manner he would if his opinion was asked about a piece of art. She had all the right parts in all the right places. She had a completely different body type than Lucy. He answered, “I suppose that most people would think so.” A little disappointed at William’s reaction to the naked woman, Lucy shook her head knowing that she should have expected it. Looking at the woman, Lucy said, “You can get dressed.” The woman started to dress while thinking that either William was gay or he had the most control over his sexuality of any man she had ever met. She watched him while she dressed. It was easy to see that his attention was not on her. Although that was the result she had hoped to see, it was still surprising. His confusion was beginning to turn into frustration. With more of an edge to his voice, William looked around the room before asking, “Will somebody tell me what is going on?” “What do you think of her qualifications for the job?” “They are outstanding,” William said glancing down at her resume. This was the third time she had asked and he didn’t understand why Lucy kept asking that question. “Can you work with her?” “Yes, but I’m not sure that the job will be challenging enough for her,” William answered gesturing at the candidate with the resume. Mary Gold bit back a laugh at the suggestion that the job wouldn’t be challenging enough. Keeping track of a Carter was a full time job. Lucy said, “The position of personal aide for William is yours if you would like it.” “Thank you, I would like that very much,” she answered. Turning to face Mary Gold, Lucy said, “When she’s finished dressing, we’ll have the next candidate.” “It has been a tradition among the Carter Clan for staff, including new hires, to participate in the interview with the subsequent candidates,” Mary said. “Ah, I wasn’t aware of that,” Lucy said. She looked at Mary Gold for a moment and then asked, “What about Lisa, Ken, and the bodyguards. Shouldn’t they be here?” “They’ve already met with the candidates and approved them,” Mary Gold answered with a smile. She had already run the candidates past the existing staff while the couple was on their honeymoon. “Oh,” Lucy said. She glanced over at William and said, “I see no reason to break a family tradition.” “Barbara Gray, you are now the personal aide for William and Lucy. Their schedule and personal needs are now in your hands,” Mary Gold said. Barbara finished dressing, opened the door, and called for the next candidate. Once the woman entered, Barbara took a seat beside Lucy. Accepting the stack of folders from Mary Gold, Barbara removed the top one. Turning to William and Lucy, she said, “This is Ms. Sandra Wells. She’s interviewing for the administrative assistant position. Her job will be to make things happen.” Frustration on full boil at never having his original question answered, William asked, “What is going on?” Lucy examined the folder for a minute and liked what she saw. She looked up at the woman standing at the front of the room with a smile. She handed the folder to William and asked, “Would you tell me what you think of her credentials?” Looking down at the folder, William could see that this woman was very qualified. He was surprised that she would even consider the position based on her resume. Shrugging his shoulders, he said, “I’m impressed. Her credentials are impeccable. So tell me what is going on.” “Would you mind taking off your clothes?” “No problem,” Sandra answered. She removed the coat of her business suit and placed it on the chair beside her. In a very firm voice, William said, “Hold it. Lucy, if you don’t tell me what is going on I’m going to get up and leave.” Sandra looked over at Mary Gold to see if she should continue to undress. It was easy to see that William had reached the limit of his patience. Kelly had warned Mary Gold and Lucy that this would happen. A small gesture from Mary let her know that she was to stop. Sighing, Lucy said, “It’s a long story.” “I’m willing to listen,” William said settling back in his chair with his arms crossed. Gesturing to the other women in the room, Lucy said, “I guess I should start with the problem.” “I wasn’t aware that there was a problem, so that might be a good place to begin.” “Women have been throwing themselves at you wherever you go. Don’t deny it, everyone has been commenting on it.” William shrugged his shoulders and said, “That’s what people have been telling me. I haven’t seen any signs of it.” Fully aware that he hadn’t noticed, Lucy said, “It’s true. Your mothers and I discussed this matter. We came up with a solution to the problem.” “That solution is?” “I am going to make sure that you are surrounded by the most beautiful women possible. I want to know that any woman who approaches you is going to be intimidated by them. I expect that the majority of gold diggers will back off immediately.” “So why ask them to strip?” William asked afraid that he knew what the answer would be. “I don’t want you sleeping with women who are anything less than perfect,” Lucy answered. She looked over at the woman at the front of the room and said, “Please, continue getting undressed.” “Don’t undress. Who said that I was going to be sleeping with them?” William asked getting angry. “In case you’ve forgotten, we got married a month ago.” Rolling her eyes, Lucy pointed to the woman at the front of the room. She said, “Look at her. She’s gorgeous. There’s no way a red blooded male will be able to work with her for any length of time before he’s tempted to sleep with her. You will try to sleep with her.” “That doesn’t mean that she’ll want to sleep with me and you know that I would never ask,” William countered defensively. “Ah, William. You don’t get it, do you?” “Probably not,” he answered thoroughly confused by his wife’s behavior during the entire interview process. “You and Eddie are so much like your fathers,” Mary Gold said. Shaking her head, she said, “I only worked with them for a couple of months before I was head over heels in love with them. Believe me when I say that the women who work for you will feel the same way.” “The women we hire are not going to be able to work with you for any length of time without wanting to sleep with you,” Lucy answered in a matter of fact voice. At the wedding parties, she had talked to every woman who had ever worked for the Carters and it had been the same story over and over. “You’ve been talking with Momma Kelly, haven’t you?” William asked. “Your mothers and I talked a lot while you were working on your dissertation. Kelly pointed out some things to me that I had never considered. We worked through my feelings about fidelity and true love,” Lucy answered. Initially, she had been devastated by what Kelly had suggested. She was hurt at the idea that William would cheat. The fact that his own mother had said it was a forgone conclusion that he would be tempted at some point in time only made it worse. Watching him during the months after William had returned from Texas had opened her eyes. She had seen how William and the women around him reacted to each other. He was oblivious to the women who flirted outrageously with him. The same couldn’t be said about them. It seemed to her that a third of the women between the ages of sixteen and fifty looked at him with far more desire than was comfortable for her. She knew what Kelly meant when she said that William wouldn’t chase, he’d be pursued. All that would be necessary was one moment of weakness and he would fall. Shaking his head, William said, “It’s not right to require them to sleep with me as part of their job.” Surprised by his assumption, Barbara said, “It is not a requirement of the job.” “So why strip?” Barbara looked over at Lucy as if seeking permission to speak. Nodding her head, Lucy gave permission for her to explain. She said, “To see if you were worthy of having me work for you.” “Huh?” “I needed to see your reaction to my body. The last thing I want is to work for someone who only sees me as a pretty face. The man or woman who I work for must see my mind first and my body second,” Barbara answered with far more venom in her voice than William expected. When Mary Gold had said that she could be naked during the interview and William would ignore it had been so absurd that she had challenged Mary Gold to prove it. Every other interview she had been on had ended with the suggestion that her duties might include activities outside the office. Years of being treated like some sort of centerfold had soured her on most men. “So how would stripping in front of me tell you anything?” William asked. “When Lucy asked what you thought of my qualifications, you turned to the resume rather than look at me. She did that three different times. You didn’t leer at me while I stripped. In fact, you pretty much ignored me. Even when Lucy asked your opinion about my body, you didn’t drool like every other man has done,” she said with a smile. Mary Gold had been right about William. He was exactly the kind of man that she would find irresistible. Gesturing to the woman at the front of the room, William asked, “So why are you willing to strip?” “To see for myself if what I’ve been told is true,” Sandra answered looking William in the eye. Looking back at her, he asked, “What were you told?” “I was told that you would look beyond the physical to see the real me.” William studied her for a moment. Even though he didn’t have his father’s gift, he knew that she was giving him an honest answer. He looked down at her resume trying to figure out what he was supposed to be seeing that wasn’t covered in it. He looked over at Mary Gold and, knowing the answer, asked, “Who told her that?” “I did,” she answered. “Why?” “It’s the truth,” Mary Gold answered with a smile. William looked at the resume for a moment considering what to say next. Finally, he asked, “Sandra, why would you want to work Lucy and me? You could have a position in any Fortune 500 company with your credentials.” “I don’t want to work in a Fortune 500 company. I would spend most of my career doing the same things over and over,” she answered. Her father had told her that a few people retired with thirty five years of experience, but most people retired with one year of experience repeated thirty five times. She wanted to be one of the few who experienced something new every day. She looked at him for a minute and said, “I don’t think that would be true working for you.” “So you want the challenge of having a job that changes from day to day,” William said. Shaking his head, he said, “I’m not sure that I can provide that.” Frowning at William, Mary Gold said, “He can provide that.” Lucy asked, “Why do you say that?” “You forget that I’ve worked for the Carters for a long time. No two days are alike,” Mary Gold said. She laughed and said, “One minute you are arranging to transfer millions of dollars to some charity and the next you are setting up a trip to Antarctica.” William looked over at Sandra, sighed, and then said, “The job is yours if you want it.” “Thanks. I do want it,” Sandra replied. She opened the door and called into the next room, “Next.” Gesturing to an empty chair at the table, Barbara said, “Have a seat here next to me.” Sandra sat down next to Barbara and said, “It’s going to be nice working with you.” A lovely Hispanic woman with long black hair, brown eyes, and a killer body entered the room. William looked at her for a second before he recognized her. He didn’t know her that well. To confirm his suspicions, he asked, “Juanita?” Lucy looked at William in surprise and asked, “Do you know her?” Juanita answered, “Hello, William.” “This is a wonderful surprise,” William said believing that she had stopped by to say hello. A number of the local folks about his age had come by over the past two days to see him. Lucy looked at Juanita with interest and asked, “How do you know each other?” “This is my hometown. Everyone knows everyone in this town,” Juanita answered. “Oh,” Lucy said. She hadn’t expected William to know any of the candidates and she didn’t know how she felt about that. “You used to watch the younger kids during the Halloween Celebration here in town. I think the first time I met you, you were changing the diapers on Eddie,” William said enjoying the momentary break from interviewing. Since he didn’t actually spend much time in town, he met most of the people during special events. It took him a moment to remember that her father ran the local supermarket. He asked, “How is your father?” “He’s doing well. The grocery store is busy as usual.” “I had heard that you graduated college last year. He must be proud of you,” William said. In terms of students going onto college and finishing with advanced degrees, the high school in town had one of the highest rates in the country. “He was. He threw a very nice party. The entire family and half the town showed up. He made his famous barbecued goat for the occasion,” Juanita replied. The fact that her father went through all of the trouble of barbecuing the goat told her that he was very proud of her. Hearing about her father preparing goat, William grinned and said, “I’m sorry I missed it, but I’m sure that Ed was there.” She laughed and said, “Your father would crash a party just to have some of my dad’s goat.” Becoming convinced that there was a little bit of history between William and Juanita, Lucy was staring daggers at William. The rapid exchange of personal information was not what she had been expecting. The little green worm of jealously started to raise its ugly head. Although he was enjoying the break, William decided that it was time to cut the visit short and finish up the interviews. He stood up and walked around the table. Giving her a nice hug, he said, “I hate to rush this visit, but we’re interviewing people and I’m sure the next candidate is pretty anxious to enter. I’m so glad that you were able to stop by and say hello. It’s been wonderful seeing you again. Give my regards to your father.” “Excuse me?” Juanita asked confused. She looked over at Mary Gold who was staring at William. Lucy looked at William with a puzzled expression on her face. Shrugging, William said, “We’re interviewing people. I think we’re waiting for the candidate for the accountant position to show up.” Amused at the mistake, Mary Gold said, “She’s the candidate for the accountant position.” “Oh,” William said realizing that he had never seen the resume. His face turned red with embarrassment at his blunder. He stammered, “I’m so sorry. I thought you had come in for a visit.” Unable to help herself, Lucy burst out laughing when she realized that William thought it was a social visit and not a job interview. He didn’t make mistakes like that very often, but when he did it was usually a pretty good one. She asked, “Do you want to start over?” “Sure,” William said while returning to his chair. Juanita took a moment to recover her professional demeanor. Once William was seated, Lucy handed him the resume. He looked over it and found that he was impressed. She had graduated Magna Cum Laude in accounting. Four summers had been spent as an intern at the Anderson accounting firm. The past year had been spent working in the Carter Clan office as an accountant while going to night school. He looked up and asked, “How much longer until you go after your CPA certification?” “I have twelve more hours of class to reach the hundred and fifty hour requirement, but I’m going after the MBA with a specialization in accounting. I’m eighteen hours from completing the MBA,” she answered. Lucy grabbed the resume and looked over the resume. She had missed that Juanita was pursuing an MBA. Her estimation of the young woman went up a notch. She asked, “What do you think, William?” For a moment he wondered if she was planning on opening a Montoya Accounting Firm, but he considered the local competition and knew it would be almost impossible to get a new firm started in the area. He said, “She’s very qualified.” “The job is yours if you want it,” Lucy said. “I want it,” Juanita answered excitedly. “Ask in the next candidate and have a seat over here,” Barbara said. She passed the next folder over to Lucy. Lucy looked at the folder and, smiling at the resume inside, said, “The position for the clerk.” Donna Barnes entered the room and looked at William and Lucy unable to believe that she had actually made it this far in the interview process. Her uncle had attended the wedding and talked with Mary Gold during one of the parties. She had told him they were putting together a staff for William and Lucy. Upon learning that they were looking for a clerk, she had traveled from Seattle to apply for the job. “Donna Barnes,” William said after examining her features. He looked over the resume for a moment and asked, “What tribe?” “Makah,” she answered. It was a small tribe of only 2000 people located in the northwest corner of Washington. “So, you are of the people who live by the rocks and sea gulls. You are a long way from the Pacific Ocean,” he commented wondering how she would enjoy living in the desert. “You know of the Makah?” she asked amazed. “I hope to visit Ozette one day,” William answered. The excavation of the ancient village that had been buried in 1700 by a mudslide had been required reading at the Native American College. Lucy examined the Native American woman. The persistence she had demonstrated in going after the job had been incredible. She had camped across the street from the Carter House until Mary Gold would see her. Curious, she asked, “Why do you want the job so much?” “The chance to work for Talks with Animals and Walks with Wisdom is too great to pass up,” Donna answered. Lucy examined Donna for a moment, thinking about her answer. She said, “I fear that the reality of working with us will lead you to see us as people rather than larger than life characters. I am sure that you will be disappointed.” Donna looked puzzled for a moment and then said, “I don’t think so.” William and Lucy looked at each other having a whole conversation with a single glance. Turning back to look at Donna, Lucy said, “The job is yours if you want it.” “I want it.” “Would you call in the candidate for the receptionist’s position and take a seat at the table?” Lucy glanced at the resume and frowned. Curious about her reaction to the resume, William held out his hand for the folder. He opened it up and found that it was little more than a summary of her educational background. She had graduated from high school in Phoenix in the top ten percent of her class. He looked at the name, Amanda Bricks, at the top of the resume and didn’t recall anything special about it. The door opened and a very attractive woman entered the room. William tapped the table in front of him and the woman turned to face him. He said, “There’s not much in your resume in terms of work experience. What makes you feel qualified to hold the position of receptionist?” “I have a nice speaking voice and volunteered as a part-time receptionist at the school for the blind,” Amada answered. William asked, “How many people are in the room?” “Including myself, there are eight,” she answered after a slight pause. “I’m satisfied that you’ll do a fine job,” William said. Like the previous three candidates, she was very attractive. Lucy looked at the white cane and asked, “Will you need any special equipment?” “Just a Braille monitor,” she answered.